


A Very Shy Hobbit

by General_Button



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, M/M, OOC behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2012-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-22 21:02:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/614299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/General_Button/pseuds/General_Button
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo Baggins  has decided to court the king of the dwarfs, but does Thorin know that?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Very Shy Hobbit

**Author's Note:**

> Set during the movie. I'm just going to do it now and apologize to all Tolkien fans and fans of the Hobbit for what I am no doubt about to botch. All mistakes are mine (note: I used a different spelling for plural dwarf) and the plot isn't supposed to be complicated.
> 
> Bilbo is a blushing maiden and Gandalf knows everything.

_The Giving of Gifts is a most important Subject. As every Hobbit should know from the time he or she leaves Faunthood behind, it is far Better to Give than to Receive._

Bilbo Baggins, descendent of the Took bloodline, Master Baggins to current dwarfish and wizard company, was by no means a very confident hobbit. Bilbo Baggins, when he wasn't angry at brazen, dwarf behavior or the ill-suited comment, was a very shy hobbit. Especially when it came to the courting of any type of being--specifically, the courting of one Thorin Oakenshield, King of Erebor and a very aggressive dwarf. Bilbo was as attracted to him as he was afraid. 

_A Gift does not--indeed, should not--always be New. It is perfectly Proper to pass along a Mathom of one’s own. However, one should never use the occasion of Gift-giving as an Excuse to Clean Out one’s Mathom Rooms!_

Bilbo often reminisced of when the birds had dropped them at the outcropping of rocks, and their relationship had changed. Thorin had hugged him! He had given the hobbit his respect, and in turn, his friendship. Thorin was hardly a nice dwarf, per se. He wasn't cruel, but he did have the tendency to lash out at the worst member of their company at the moment. Usually it was Bilbo. Now, though, he might actually smile at the hobbit's antics, followed by a sharp command or reprimand. Bilbo had to return that favor and show how much he cared.

As he was on a journey and did not carry with him any of his old wares, Bilbo was at a loss in this prospect. Finding a gift for him that would aid his courtship was difficult. What could possibly be the Appropriate Gift, whiles also being useful to dear Thorin? Why he decided to do this, he'd never know. Thorin was strong and handsome and made his heart race--but he was a king. And a king would never accept a hobbit's courtship, least of all one with little bravery or valor.

That didn't mean Bilbo wasn't going to try. 

He searched through his belongings, wondering which might be best, when he spied his mother's old spoon. It was made of silver and was obviously of very fine craftsmanship. There were many purposeful holes in it; intricate designs that told of meticulous handiwork. It was one of his best silver; he'd brought I along for if he ever needed money, doubting it would be useful. Perhaps with a thick soup, it could be properly used. It was something important to him; certainly Thorin would recognize it and either reject or accept the offering of courtship. Once a hobbit began properly courting--well! There was no stopping him. Hobbits were notoriously stubborn. 

Bilbo took the spoon and wiped it off, brushing by remaining dirt and grime off of it so it would shine. Satisfied, he smiled and moved toward their camp for the night. Bofur greeted him from his watch, a careful eye on the everyone's horses. Bombur was staring longingly into the pot of boiling food while the others admonished him when he swiped a bit. Everything was very dwarfish and Bilbo quickly made his way to Thorin, whom he hoped would accept his gift. 

Bilbo spied him under a tree, watching his company with a mixture of amusement and irritation. He knew the dwarf respected him enough to count him as part of their company, but butterflies still assaulted his stomach as he approached. Thorin immediately locked eyes with the hobbit, ever-present frown growing more serious. 

"What ails you, hobbit? You look frightened. It is a fine night out." Bilbo swallowed and nodded slowly. He thought he was right to be afraid! It was Thorin, after all, that he was insane enough to court. 

There was no time to wait. "Thorin, good evening. I've, uh. I've come to give you this!" Bilbo presented it with a flourish, the lovely spoon of his mother's. What didn't occur to Bilbo, was that dwarfs had no way of knowing how hobbits courted, and that he should not be surprised to see Thorin's confusion. The king took the spoon and inspected it, frown deepening. 

_And yet, I may pause here to say a Word on the Receiving of Gifts: a Gift is never to be turned away, whatever the reason. It is a Most Offensive Insult to Refuse a Gift!_

It was only natural that when the dwarf king responded with: "Why have you brought me a hole-ridden spoon, Master Baggins? It is useless." that Bilbo should look so devastated. He looked as if he had been slapped, eyes quivering with wetness. Thorin blinked in shock and strange guilt. The hobbit looked so expectant at his gift, and so devastated when he responded negatively, that Thorin felt it his duty to heal that tiny heart. "I will find use," he said hastily. Bilbo's expression immediately cleared. "Thank you " Thorin said, confused, rough and awkward. Bilbo's face turned bright red up to his ears. He tipped his head down in acknowledgement and scurried off, leaving the dwarf king to stare back at him in puzzlement.

_Gifts of Food or Flowers are always appropriate from either gender to either gender._

Bilbo took his courting very seriously. He gave Thorin more of his attention, much of it accompanied by the smaller one blushing and stumbling through his speech shyly. To think, Thorin had accepted his courtship, even though he was certainly the least fit.

Bilbo could be a very angry hobbit when need be, and could contend with the best of drawfs, but in courting his own, he was a very shy hobbit. He would approach Thorin with conversation about his home or past life, nervous and uncertain, and then run off, red to line of his hair when Thorin looked at him quite hard. He shared his food, and when Thorin offered some of his because he felt he wasn't eating enough, Bilbo looked delighted. Most of the dwarfs shared confused looks at his behavior, and looked toward Thorin for the answer. The dwarf would simply acknowledge the other's behavior as a strange hobbit habit, and one that did not bother him. He was rather quant when he blushed.

What did bother him slightly were the strange gifts he kept receiving, without a single explanation or a chance to get in his say. One such gift was on a sunny day of travel, when recent rain had dried and all as warm and calm. Bilbo came up to Thorin on his pony, hopping off with purpose. He smiled at Thorin, honey gold curls ruffled by wind, making his face round and pleasant. He presented him with a beautiful flower he had found, knowing it was perfect for the dwarf. Its petals were of the brightest red, droplets still clinging to its edges, and it was the only one of its kind Bilbo had seen. Unique and Appropriate. 

Thorin accepted it curiously, wary as he gave it a sniff. He eyed Bilbo's curls, and held the flower into the light. "It would look much finer on yourself." He had no use for the flower, and gently pressed it into the hobbit's hair. Bilbo instantly turned red to the tip of his ears. He had yet to run off, and Thorin was curious when he spoke. 

"Um, thank you. I'm very glad we've had such opportunity to become close. I think the spring would be the best season for the end of the ritual. There's no finer season, but if you wish for it to be during the summer, that is just as fine." 

Thorin's brow furrowed. What was the hobbit speaking of? "What are you saying, hobbit?" He demanded, catching Bilbo off guard. 

"Don't tell me you'd rather the winter. That is a time of death and food that is far and in between," the hobbit argued. "Not to mention the cold." What a horrible time for a ritual of courtship. 

"What?" He was speaking nonsense. "Hobbit, I demand you tell me--" 

He was interrupted by Gandalf. "Master Baggins and Thorin! Hello, and good afternoon. It is indeed one to be good on." He smiled at Bilbo, then turned to Thorin. "Thorin, would you come here for a moment?" 

"Gandalf. I am talking to our burglar here--"

"And he shall still be here when you come back. Come, come." He ushered him off, leaving Bilbo still sore over the subject of their courtship. He wandered off in search of entertainment in the form of randy dwarfs. 

Dwalin, the fairly frightening and large dwarf met him first. "Another rendezvous with Thorin?" he teased, gruff. Balin walked on his other side, crossing his arms as Bilbo sputtered.

"That raises a good question. What is it you intend to do with Thorin? If I might say so, you seem very smitten." A few other dwarfs looked over curiously, murmuring agreements. Bilbo smiled, nodding cheerfully enough. 

"Of course! a hobbit does not simply ignore the one be is courting," Bilbo said proudly. 

"Courting!" Bofur popped in. "You're courting Thorin Oakenshield? Why, that's brave." He whistled. Bilbo bristled a bit, as Thorin had already responded to his courtship. He was about to say so, when Balin spoke.

"How is it courting works for a hobbit?" he asked. 

"Our ways are very different, I bet, though I know not how a dwarf courts. A hobbit begins with a gift of old, and they exchange gifts until a time is decided for the ritual to be finished and they be wed."

"So that spoon you gave Thorin was the beginning?" Kili, who had joined the conversation, asked uneasily. Bilbo nodded. "And he accepted?" Fili popped in, receiving another curt nod. 

"Yes." The dwarfs shared uneasy looks. 

"You don't think," Kili began, turning to his brother. "You don't suppose Master Thorin knows about this, do you Master Burglar?" 

What? Thorin knew, of course he knew. Why would Thorin accept it otherwise? Any hobbit would have easily said it was stupid to accept a gift if one was not-- Bilbo froze, the color draining from his face. "Oh. Oh," he said, feeling faint. All of this time, all of the gifts. The lack of any gift from Thorin. The confusion. It all made horrifying sense all of a sudden. Thorin was a dwarf, and he had no way to know.

"What have I done?" he squeaked, facing the pitying faces of the drawfs. How could he forget not all knew of hobbit courting ways? How could he forget--

Bilbo groaned, hanging his head. "I'm so embarrassed." The dwarfs offered him comforting pats and  Balin offered some advice. "Just ignore it, lad; Thorin won't have even realized."

"We all just thought you really liked him," Ori offered. "None of us knew. Except maybe Gandalf," he added cheerfully. They all turned where Gandalf and Thorin talked out of earshot, the latter with his arms crossed and brow furrowed. 

"Do you suppose he told him? What if he's telling him now? That must be Thorin now, 'not realizing' that he's going to murder me."

"Better hide, hobbit," Kili offered as a joke, chuckling.

"I'm glad you find this funny! I, however, am humiliated, and I think hiding is a good idea as Thorin is coming this way." Drained of color, Bilbo took off. 

"The lad's a fast one." 

"Aye. Hope he can run the same when it isn't King Thorin after his hide." 

\---

"Thorin, I believe it is time we had a long-due chat." Gandalf situated himself on a rock, staff resting against his knee. "It's about Master Baggins, of whom you've had the pleasure." 

"Our hobbit seems have taken a liking to me as we grow closer in travels. What of it?" He knew he was avoiding the subject of how the hobbit gave him gifts and seems to turn red whenever their gazes met. 

"I think we both know what Bilbo is doing cannot be classified as very usual. Wouldn't you say so?" 

Thorin shifted. "I might. What is it you are trying to say? I'm in no mood for your riddles. Out with it." He was tired of games, tired of wondering what Bilbo was doing when he gave him these things. 

"It would appear our young Bilbo was courting you." Gandalf smiled, amused, clearly. 

"What?" Frowning deeply now, Thorin looked at Bilbo chatting happily with the dwarfs. "Why was he courting me? Why did you not inform me of this? I have been made a fool this entire time. Bilbo knew--"

Gandalf interrupted calmly, raising a hand. "Bilbo was under the impression you know and accepted his courtship. I have spent much time with hobbits, and know for fact you accepted his gift."

Thorin remembered the spoon, seeming eons ago, when Bilbo had looked devastated. He cursed. "The blasted spoon. So all this time, he thought--" 

"He thought you returned his feelings." Thorin felt the dwarfs' gazes and turned, meeting eyes both curious and one, Bilbo's, horrified. His heart jumped. So the hobbit had been courting him? Why he, an ill fit king? 

"Well?" Gandalf poked him with his staff. 

"Well what?" Thorin parroted, puzzled. 

"Go after him, you fool!" Thorin did not have to be told twice. He walked towards his dwarfs, who were gathered and murmuring. The hobbit was gone. 

"Where is Bilbo?" he demanded. The dwarfs shrugged. 

"Ran off to hide from you. It was Kili's idea." Kili hit him hard. 

"I'm not the only one who thought it!" Kili argued. "We were all sure you'd come to hunt him down, and here you are." The dwarfs looked at Thorin strangely. It only just occurred to him that they might feel protective over Bilbo. 

"I simply want to talk to our burglar. It seems there's been a misunderstanding, and I want to set it right." Silence held, gauging the truth in such a statement.

Balin was the first to nod and speak. "He ran east. Better find him before night falls; he'll become a tricky one."

\---

Hobbits were notoriously good at hiding. It had been a fun and laborious game at the Shire to play hide and seek with quick, giggling hobbit children. Bilbo had loved to hide and run and see just how far he could go. 

It only suited him that he ran now, ducking under the brush to hide in shame. He had been courting a dwarf who had no idea he was being courted, and now he was going to hunt him down. Bilbo wasn't quite ready for that yet. 

The hobbit, quiet and quick, slipped under everyone's eyes and strayed near the river with the horses. He brushed his hand across Myrtle's flank and sighed, moving to look at the water and his reflection. What he saw was disappointing. As if Thorin would want a hobbit like him, small and weak. Barely big enough to ride his stupid pony. 

The hobbit sat there for some time, allowing his nerves to calm and the feeling of shame to dissipate some. He kicked a stone just as a shadow passed over him. Bilbo whirled around and gasped, meeting Thorin Oakinshield's glittering eyes. He sucked in a sharp breath and stumbled at the edge of the water, flailing wildly until Thorin caught his arm. He was pulled in,  down with Thorin as he sat, falling into his lap. "Master Baggins," he greeted seriously. Bilbo squirmed under his gaze, not daring to speak. His face was cherry red and his fringe hid his eyes, turned to look in his lap. Thorin sighed and shifted, reaching with one hand. He brushed away the curls obscuring the hobbit's view and smiled.

"There you are." Bilbo blinked at him in shocked, "Wha--" he began, but then warm, solid hands cupped his cheeks. Bilbo's eyes fluttered closed. "Why me, halfling? Why did you decide to court a man who doesn't even have a home?" 

Bilbo's eyes flashed at this. "Because you're more than that! And too hard on yourself. Why, you have the strength of ten dwarfs, and the courage of more than I can count! You may not be a king now, but we both know you're fit for it. Your men are loyal and would follow you anywhere. I would.. I would follow you anywhere." Bilbo's face heated, still held in warm hands. Thorin's heart warmed against such words. 

"If I am brave," he murmured, pulling Bilbo close, "then why do I feel so afraid? You, Bilbo Baggins. You make me afraid of losing someone again, and I don't even know how you did it."

Their lips met. Bilbo wrapped his arms around Thorin's neck, sounds of content escaping as they kissed. It was warm and wet, and Thorin's lips were generous. Bilbo shifted closer in Thorin's lap, fingers burrowing into soft, well kept hair. 

They broke apart when they heard Kili and Fili, both laughing and making their situation known: "Should we call you Uncle Baggins, now?" They laughed and Thorin managed a patient smile, Bilbo's arms still around his neck, a silly grin on his face. 

"Just wait until you experience dwarven courtship," Thorin threatened, pressing his nose into the hobbit's. 

He couldn't wait.

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be short and cute. Ssh just take it. 
> 
> I couldn't find much about courting, so I used this for all references: http://www.lotrgfic.com/viewstory.php?action=printable&textsize=0&sid=583&chapter=9


End file.
